


Six Years Apart (And then an eternity together)

by thatredfeeling



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Julie has an older sister cause i said so, Lesbian Carrie Wilson, M/M, Old Friends, Romance, The Guys Are Alive
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-12 13:29:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28761081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatredfeeling/pseuds/thatredfeeling
Summary: After six years apart, Julie and Luke find each other on a bus ride that takes them straight into the past and right into a new beginning.
Relationships: Julie Molina/Luke Patterson
Comments: 10
Kudos: 74





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, this is my first fic here, so here goes a few warnings:  
> \- English is not my first language, so I apologize in advance for any mistakes you might find;  
> \- Julie has an older sister cause I thought it would be cool;  
> \- The boys are not friends anymore, but hopefully they will be by the end of the story;  
> \- I think this is going to be about 5 chapters long, but we'll see.
> 
> I hope you like this! If you do, kudos and comments are much appreciated. <3

When Julie left home that morning, she didn’t expect the weather to be so catastrophic. All that took was five minutes for the rain that started to fall, loudly and heavy upon her head. She barely had time to set foot under the covered shelter of the nearest bus stop, already crowded.

She thought the umbrella deep down inside her backpack would stay hidden until the end of her first day at the new job. God, her hair was definitely not ready for the rain either — it must be everywhere by now, there was no point in trying to fix it.

When her bus arrives, she hops in quickly hoping for a vague single seat. Luckily not many people follow her, and she has time to walk till the end of the corridor to check if she could find one — there wasn’t any left. So, Julie comes back to the middle of the car and slides into a chair, side by side with a stranger. She puts on her headphones and hits play on whatever she was listening to before going to bed last night. Just like that, the girl zoned out of the world as rain still fell stronger on the other side.

Julie watched as they passed by the empty streets, the city had not woken up completely just yet - it was too soon for that. She gives a big yawn when the bus stops and more passengers hop in, a few of them soaking wet, with very miserable expressions on their faces. She couldn’t blame them — her own hair would remind her of what misery looked like a few hours later.

Either way, the early hours didn’t bother her as much as it did before. Julie had always been used to the madness of big cities, waking up at 5 a.m. was a routine, entering crowded subways and buses and trains was something she grew up with. Plus, it was good to be back home, where her family and old friends were, rather than in a big city all by herself.

“Julie?”

She wasn’t sure of when she started humming the melody of the song playing on her Spotify, but Julie could swear she heard her name being called. She didn’t care about it at first, it was probably her mind going places.

But then, she heard it again, and when she turned to the side there was a boy staring at her, with the most beautiful hazel eyes she had ever seen.

“Hey!”

Her mouth went dry. The girl tries to think of something to say while taking her headphones off, but her words get completely stuck in her throat.

“It's Luke,” he says when realizes she is almost paralyzed. “Patterson.”

Julie blinks, her eyes still wide.

“Uh, yes. Yes!” she rushes to answer this time. “I know, I'm just surprised to see you. Sorry, I didn't recognize you with the hoodie on."

He grins. “It's ok, I was running from the rain this morning, didn't even notice this was still on," Luke says while taking the hoodie of his head, revealing the orange beanie that still covered his hair. "But how are you? It's been what, six years?"

“Yeah, long time, right?” Julie sighs. “I'm good. Just graduated, actually.”

“Really? I mean, I knew you were going to college, but… how was it? Where did you go to?”

“Juilliard. I just came back from New York last week.”

“Wow,” he huffed in awe. “That’s very… you, I guess. Congrats, Julie.”

“Thank you,” Julie gives him a shy smile. “What about you? What are you doing on the bus at seven a.m.? I thought you hated mornings."

“Oh, I’m going to work. At the Covington’s Tower? There’s an agency there-”

“Wait,” she interrupts him, this time her expression is of complete exasperation. “No way! I’m starting in the record label right across the street, you know? It’s my first day today.”

Luke’s lips spread all over his face. “That’s awesome! We’re like street colleagues or something.” 

“Yeah,” Julie agrees. “Something like that.”

They spend the rest of their ride talking. Actually, Luke was the one speaking, she would just mindfully listen to his life changing stories.

The boy told her about his college degree, the one his mother had fully insisted him on getting. He was a designer now and worked at the Covington Agency of Art and Design, as Chief Director of the Illustration Department. Julie thought it was a huge deal, but Luke told her it was only a fancy name for the one guy who could really do the illustration job. She didn’t believe him.

Then, Julie asked about Sunset Curve, if that was still a thing, and realized Luke was very uncomfortable talking about that matter. He simply told her they split after high school and haven’t been in touch since then. She wondered what could’ve happened, but didn’t insist on it.

When they got to their stop, a block away from their destiny, it was no longer raining. The air was fresh, a bit cooler, but it felt like a whole new beginning.

“So,” he says as soon as they start walking. “How’s Olivia doing?”

“Oh,” Julie is a little surprised by the mention of her older sister so soon. “She is doing amazing, I think. She just got her latest book published last month, did you know?”

“Another one?!” Luke definitely didn’t expect that. “I mean, isn’t it like the third one in six years?”

“Yeah, what can I say? She lives in a cage,” Julie jokes.

He laughs. “Man, I really hope she has a social life going on.”

“Trust me, she does. I still envy how outgoing she is.”

“I bet she didn’t change a thing,” Luke nods his head, a small grin still escaping his lips. “Is she here, in the city?”

“Oh, no. She is in Miami… something to do with wedding plans and bla bla bla.”

“Wedding plans?! This conversation is taking a weird turn, Molina.”

If he was surprised before, Julie was sure she definitely caught him out of guard this time. He’s expression was of complete shock. 

“Who’s the lucky guy?”

She takes a long pause. “Lucky _girl_ , you mean,” Julie says while gazing at him with thoughtful eyes. “Carrie Wilson, from the cheerleading team?”

All of a sudden, Luke stops walking. “Carrie is gay?!”

“Yes, they’re getting married in two weeks,” she answers casually. “I’m surprised you didn’t know. Carrie documents her life on social media all day. Liv must be on at least a few of her daily posts.”

“Man, I need coffee. Extra large cup.”

Julie sighs. “So do I.”

They enter the first coffee shop around the corner and Luke is already talking again. “I can't believe Liv's getting married!” They stop in front of the counter to look at the menu. “And to Carrie Wilson?!"

She ignores him. “Hmm, I think I’ll have a Latte,” Julie orders. “And he’ll have…”

“An Americano, please.” Luke adds.

She turns to look at the boy beside her after the employee takes their order, he’s so anxious she can’t help but laugh a little, remembering the old days, when he would drive her nuts with his excitement.

“Yes, I did say Carrie is her fiancée.”

He frowns and thinks about it for a bit. She couldn’t read through his expression this time. “And how exactly did this happen?”

Julie rolls her eyes at his question. “Why are you so shocked about it?” she genuinely asks. “You knew Liv hooked up with girls back then and, well, Carrie never really dated a guy other than Nick—”

“No, you're right,” Luke cuts her off. “I'm not shocked about Olivia being with a girl, it's just that… I never thought she would do it. Getting married, I mean. She always mocked married couples, you remember that?”

“I know! I told her the same thing and she was like _Julie, you gotta learn that people change their opinions eventually_ ,” Julie says in a high pitched tone, supposedly to imitate her sibling. “I mean, I _know_ that, but in her case it was more like… being in love with a lunatic made her change her mind.”

“Dude, Carrie _is_ crazy,” he answers, widening his eyes.

They take their orders and Luke insists on paying for them on their way out. Julie takes a sip at her coffee, already feeling a lot more energetic.

"Yeah, but they really do love each other, you know?” she says as they step out on the sidewalk again. “They’re perfect together.”

“I’m happy they do,” Luke shows a small smile.

Both of them stay silent while giving the last steps to reach Covington's Tower. They stop by the big glass doors at the entrance and awkwardly stare at each other, not really knowing how to act next.

“Well, thanks for buying coffee,” Julie is the first to speak. “I don't wanna be late for my first day, so… see you around?”

“Of course,” Luke shrugs. “Thanks for the company, Molina. It was nice to catch up.”

There they are again, those big hazel eyes Julie couldn’t stand to look at for more than a few seconds. Her cheeks always flushed at the sight, this time was no different. She wanted to fight her body for doing that — she hated not having control over that specific reaction.

“Yeah, I’m glad we bumped into each other, Patterson.”

He nods and she waves her hand, already making her way to the crosswalk when Luke calls her name one more time.

“Hey, Julie! Wait!”

“Yes?” she turns.

“Do you wanna grab one more coffee after work? I could meet you at the same spot,” the boy suggests, his hand sliding up and down the back of his neck, showing some nervousness.

“Oh,” Julie hums, her expression almost drops in disappointment. “I can't today, I'm hanging out with Flynn later.”

If Luke was sad about it, he didn't show. “Oh, that's fine. Good luck on your new job. See you tomorrow, I guess.”

“Yeah, thanks. Save me a seat?”

He smiles. “Anything for you, Molina.”

Panic reaches her as she tries to swallow with a dry throat. How dared him? Say things like that to her as if she hadn’t been madly in love with him in the past.

Julie walks to the record label with an old, not-so-comfortable feeling around her chest. Of course that, with those words she just heard, Luke Patterson was the only thing that crossed her mind that day.

And she hated how much she liked to think about him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't usually post stuff, but you can find me on tumblr at [myheartisaprize](https://myheartisaprize.tumblr.com/) (:


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys. Thank you so much for the kudos on the previous chapter, I really appreciate them!
> 
> I am going to apologize in advance if you find any errors - english is not my first language. Also, please, feel free to correct me if you see something is wrong.
> 
> Anyway, hope you like this! If you do, kudos and comments are always welcomed. Seriously, let me know what you think! I always get so insecure about my writing, lol.
> 
> (yes i am posting this again because I ACCIDENTALLY DELETE IT IM SORRY OMG)

“Oh my God, you should ask him out!”

Julie rolls her eyes. “Flynn, don’t be ridiculous. He’s my sister’s ex-boyfriend.”

“So what? She’s not into him anymore,” she shrugs. “You on the other hand…”

Julie sights and lets herself fall on her bed, dramatically. Both girls had been talking about Julie’s morning encounter for the last fifteen minutes, as she told her best friend everything that happened that day. Seeing Luke after so long was not something she expected, it had completely messed her head up — _and_ her feelings.

Back then, Julie never thought she would get in touch with him again. When her sister left for college, they tried to make their relationship work for a year. She would only see Luke occasionally, on weekends, when Olivia came home to visit the family. The last time was a total disaster though, she remembered them shouting and saying bad things to each other, until he was completely gone from their lives.

What hurt her the most was that, while they were in high school, she had actually developed a friendship with him. They were pretty close, the boy and his bandmates would be at her house all the time, her _tía_ would bake them cookies, invite them for dinner when she was around and they would spend a lot of time in their garage — the place had become a rehearsing spot for Sunset Curve, even if her father did not agree with that from the beginning.

Julie loved it. It took her a bunch of time to discover that her feelings for Luke weren’t as… _friendly_ as she thought. But when she did, the girl felt guilty as hell — and _very_ stupid, it was obvious that he was in love with someone else. As if he would ever notice her in the first place, right? Julie was only the younger sister, she had nothing to offer him but that.

Well, she did drift away a little from him after she realized that thing wasn’t going to disappear so soon. She had to admit - Julie ignored him a lot during his senior year, and that’s probably why they wouldn’t speak anymore when Liv left.

Anyway, things changed and there was nothing she could do about it. Except from that morning, when the little spark deep down her heart decided to light up again.

“I can’t believe this whole thing,” she pouts. “It’s been _six years._ How can I still feel this way? It’s completely ridiculous. Flynn, tell me this is ridiculous!”

“I would, honey, but it doesn't seem to matter,” her friend hits back. “I already told you what I think you should do.”

“Yeah, but your plan is _mental_ ,” Julie stares at her with a serious face on. “I can’t just ask him out. It’s wrong.”

“Julie, you really think Olivia gives a damn about who you date? Her ship has sailed a long time ago. Do what you wanna do, for once—”

“I know!” she shouts, completely ignoring Flynn’s advice. “I’m gonna start biking to work. I mean, I think it’s possible, right? I can still ride a bike.”

Flynn glances at her. She tries hard not to laugh at Julie’s despair, but fails miserably.

“C’mon!” she throws a pillow at her friend’s face. “You’re supposed to help me overcome this!”

“Julie, _I am_ trying to help. You just don’t wanna listen.”

“Telling me to go on dates is not helping me,” she complains, her voice almost inaudible. “Plus, what if he has a girlfriend already?”

“Didn’t you say he invited you for coffee?”

Julie closes her eyes and shakes her head in response, against her will.

“Girl, he’s not dating!” Flynn emphasizes. “Just go for it, follow your heart. You know you want this.”

“Yeah,” she sighs. “I do want to.”

Julie was sure of that. She had tried to deny it in the past, but she knew her heart, she knew herself.

“Ok, I’ll ask him if he wants to do something on Friday or whatever.”

Flynn claps her hands in excitement and gives her a big smile. Julie can’t help but smile back at her, jitters already growing strongly inside her stomach.

She was going to ask Luke Patterson on a date. It could go wrong, but at least she would try, right?

…

The next morning, Julie woke up with a headache. When her alarm went off at 5:30 a.m., she almost threw her cellphone out the window, letting a loud groan escape her lips. The girl forced herself out of bed, took a shower and got dressed for work before heading downstairs, where her father awaited her with coffee and pancakes.

“What is this? Did you fall out of bed?” she jokes when entering the kitchen.

“Haha,” he forcefully laughs. “Very funny. I have a meeting at seven thirty. Just thought it would be nice for us to have breakfast together.”

“Awn. Thanks, _papa._ ”

Julie grabs a cup of fresh coffee and sits at the table, already devouring her food. She needed the energy for the day, otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to stand up again.

“You look tired. Did you and Flynn stayed up late last night?”

“Oh, no. I just couldn't shut my mind off. You know, still adapting with the new routine and everything.”

 _Lie!_ Big freaking lie. Her lack of sleep had a name, some pretty sparkly pair of green eyes and a damn cute smile that could light up the whole town.

“How was the first day? Did you like it there?” Ray asks.

“Yeah, everyone seemed so chill and welcoming,” Julie answers while chewing on her pancakes. “It was pretty cool, I like the job.”

Her father smiles. “That’s awesome, _mija_. I’m happy for you.”

After they finish breakfast, Julie leaves the house at 6:45 a.m. to catch the bus. As she walks past her street, she feels her stomach tie a knot — God, she was already nervous and the sun had barely woken up! In that state, she wouldn’t be able to make it to the bus stop, let alone get to the record label.

When she hops in her ride, there he is, waving his hand at her like a Labrador puppy. Luke has his bag on the seat next to him and moves it to his lap when he sees her coming towards the chair.

“Good morning,” he smiles softly at her.

“Hey,” the girl smiles back as she sits down. “Thanks.”

“No problem.”

Julie notices Luke is not as talkative as the day before. She tries to start a conversation by making small talk about the weather and he continues, casually asking about her encounter with Flynn the other night. Luke tells her he’s been to a party where the girl played at, a few months ago, but they didn’t get the chance to meet up. Julie explains that her best friend works as a DJ on weekend nights and at her parent’s animal clinic during weekdays. She shows him Flynn's profile on social media, which was getting bigger each day - her 55k followers were responsible for the important gigs she had been booking. Luke is impressed.

“Hey, that reminds me. There’s this artist I wanted you to listen to,” he says while taking his headphones off around his neck and offering one side to her. “I swear it sounds so much like what you used to play back then. I don’t know, it just reminds me of you.”

“Oh,” once again, Julie’s heart skips a beat. “Ok, let’s hear it.”

He hits play on his Spotify and lets the music run through their ears. At some point in the middle, Julie closes her eyes and sees her mom at the piano, alone in their garage, singing and playing in a perfect harmony that only she could reach, as an aura of light embraced her from behind. It’s so beautiful. If Julie were to die right then and right there, that would be the melody she would want to be stuck in her head as she closes her eyes forever.

“Wow,” it’s all she can say when the music stops. “This is so… I don’t know how to describe it.”

“I know, it’s amazing. Spotify gets it so right on recommendations sometimes,” he answers, excitement running through his words. “I could send you the link, if you want to.”

The tone of his voice changes a bit as the boy suggests that, as if he wished she would say yes. Of course she does, so they exchange numbers and there it is, Luke’s contact on her list is the only thing she can focus on. Was that whole thing just an excuse to get her number on his list to?

Julie didn’t know for sure, but she hoped so. _God_ , _how she hoped_.

As they walk to their destinations, her mind is far, far away. She doesn't even realize people making way for something to pass them by on the sidewalk.

“Excuse me, coming through!”

A loud sound of wheels scratching the concrete floor grows higher as both of them approach Covington’s Tower. Before Julie can think, Luke pushes her to the side when a tall boy skates his way beside them.

He stops right in front of the couple of friends, takes his green helmet off and reveals his long brown hair with a swing of locks. He looked like he just came out of a brand new shampoo commercial, even though his tie dye shirt did not match his black blazer and his fancy pants — nor did his skateboard.

“Hey, man!”

“Morning, Will,” Luke greets the guy with a handshake that seemed to be only theirs. “Already took your energy pill of the day, I see.”

The boy laughs. “Well, you know me. Skate’s a part of my soul,” he points to the object under his armpit.

Luke shakes his head in response and Willie stares at him for a few seconds. He turns his gaze to Julie, who is still recovering from almost being run over by him. Then, his gaze is back at Luke, and Julie can see an invisible question mark drawn all over on his face.

“Oh, right!” Luke suddenly says. “This is my friend, Julie. Julie, this is Willie, he works at the agency with me,” he introduces them both.

“Hey, I thought we were friends too at this point, man,” Willie pretends to be hurt.

Luke rolls his eyes. “Sorry. This is my friend, who also happens to be my colleague, William Covington,” he tells Julie, correcting his previous statement.

“Covington?” She asks suspiciously.

“Oh, yeah. I’m his nephew… just don’t tell everybody, otherwise they might think I got the job just because I’m in the family,” he jokes.

“Didn’t you, though?” Luke straightens his eyes into his friend’s direction.

“Well… yes. I mean, at least I went to college and learned a few things, right?” Willie shrugs, the playful tone still in words.

Julie learned that William was a Photographer at Covington’s Agency. He graduated in Visual Arts, with a major degree in Photography, and had been working for his uncle since then.

“It was nice to meet you, William, but I have to go now—”

“Please, that name hurts my ears,” he cuts her off. “Willie is more than fine, seriously. Have you ever seen someone call Luke by his real name before? _Lucas_. ” Willie mocks his friend, making a disgusted face. “Ew, real names suck.”

“Oh, shut up!” Luke hits back, as he slaps his hand on Willie’s nape.

“Yeah, well, my dad used to call him Lucas all the time,” Julie stares at Luke, who widens his green eyes at the memory.

“Julie, please, don’t ever remind me of that,” he cries in response.

“Ok, this one I wanna hear it. Meet us for coffee and spare me no details, Julie. I beg you,” Willie says, clearly teasing Luke about it.

“Sure, I’ll tell you everything you wanna know,” she joins him.

“Oh my God. I’m already regretting introducing you two,” Luke sighs and Julie lets out a warm laugh. “But seriously, Molina, we are hitting the coffee shop later. You should come.”

Puppy Labrador eyes… again! She wanted to kill him. It should be illegal to look this irresistible, right? It was like a crime to people’s mental state. How would she ever be able to ask the guy out if he continued looking at her that way? Plus, that was not the alone time Julie was hoping to have with Luke when she planned on talking about the _date thing_.

“Yeah, I’ll be there. See you boys after work.”

…

Julie was tired. When she fell into the comfortable chair of the coffee shop, her eyes almost shut for a second. She had been focusing on a screen for the past eight hours and her eyelids were responding to it now. When her order arrives, and she is able to take a nice sip of coffee, she regains some of her power back.

By the entrance, two boys announce their arrival with the little bells ringing over the door.

“Julie! I see you started without us,” Luke’s friend says as they approach her table.

“Yeah, sorry. Today was busy, I needed caffeine. And some nice cookies, thank you!” she smiles as the waitress leaves her the food she asked for. Luke and Willie take the time to make their orders as well.

“What is it that you do, exactly? Luke said you work at the record label,” Willie asks her.

“Yeah. They gave me a bunch of samples to work on today, I spent the day editing them. I guess that’s my job, but I might be helping at the studio, too.” She explains. “Do you guys want cookies?”

The boys take her offer. “Julie went to Juilliard, man,” Luke tells his friend while putting a whole cooking into his mouth.

“That is _so_ cool!” Willie blurts out.

“ _And_ she sings. Beautifully,” he adds, making Julie’s cheeks red by the compliment.

“So do you!” she ruffles in response.

“Yeah, but I don’t sound like an angel when I sing. I was just a regular dude in a band—”

“You guys are making my head spin. I have so many questions!” Willie interferes. “First of all, you had a band and you didn’t tell me?!” He turns to Luke. “Second of all, how do you know each other?”

“Yeah, Luke was a heartthrob in high school. All the girls used to go crazy for him when Sunset Curve performed at the gymnasium,” Julie answers before Luke can speak. “My sister was the lucky chosen one, I guess.”

“Oh, I bet she fell for those arms,” Willie teases, looking at Julie with a smug face.

She swallows. The girl forces a laugh, trying not to show how embarrassed she is about that, after all, she knew Luke's arms were very strong candidates on the list of things she liked most about him. “Willie, you know him too damn well.”

The boy bursts into laughter.

“Haha,” Luke rolls his eyes. “You both are _so_ funny.”

The trio spent the rest of their afternoon joking and giggling and telling stories from the past. Julie loved how easy going they were, she felt at home with both of them. Willie was such a great company, it seemed like they knew each other for years, and, well, Luke was a sight for sore eyes, that’s for sure.

It was fun to tease and see how easily irritated Luke got at every comment she made about his old punk rock attitude, or his impulsive way of acting, his easy distracted self, the way he bited his nails when he was nervous or the way he always augmented vigorously everytime he thought he was right about something. Julie would say things and Willie would add notes like _“yeah, he definitely still does that.”_ It drove him nuts and it was so fun to watch, she was having the time of her life.

“Do you remember that one time when you guys booked a gig at this weird bar downtown and my dad thought Olivia was with you, but she actually got locked at the school?”

“Oh my God, that night was a complete disaster!” Luke says as he slaps his hand on his forehead.

“What happened?” Willie asks curiously. 

“Well, Julie’s sister was really just a rebel without a cause,” he shrugs. “She lied to her dad about going to this show with us. The place was really terrible, so he obviously got furious, right?” Luke takes a sip at his coffee. “The truth was that she had stayed late at the school, studying and writing. No one knew, so she got locked in there and didn’t text anyone about it.”

“I thought dad _was_ going to murder you that day,” Julie adds.

“So did I! When he got to the bar, he was more furious at me for not knowing where she was, than at her for actually lying to him.”

“Yes. _Lucas Patterson_ was a nightmare,” she giggles at the memories coming back at her like an avalanche.

“I don’t get it. Why did she lie about that?” Willie furrows his eyebrows, confused.

“She was seeking attention. She liked to cause trouble,” Luke simply answers.

Julie didn’t expect him to say that, but it was the truth. Her sister had always been the rebel one, even with her perfect grades and perfect knowledge. She was good at many things and had always attended her parents' expectations, so Julie couldn't really understand why Olivia did the things she did when their mother died.

It was chaos after Rose’s death, and her sister’s rebellion turned into another problem their poor father had to deal with during that time of grief. Luke was definitely part of that — his free spirit, his lack of ambition (other than music, of course), his loud electric guitar and his dirty shoes were just a few reasons why Ray wouldn’t like him very much.

“Julie, I don’t know if I ever wanna meet your sister, you seem a lot more chill.”

Julie chuckles. “Oh, no. She’s nice, I promise.”

After two hours, they decide to pay for their orders. Luke goes first and then Julie, but something happens with the card machine and Willie has to wait a few minutes. Alone with Luke on the street, she takes that as her cue to ask him what she’s been dying to. _It’s now or never, Julie Molina,_ she thinks.

 _Just go for it, follow your heart,_ Flynn’s words play inside her head.

“Hey, Luke,” she calls him, her voice cracking a little. “Can I talk to you for a second?”

He turns to her and smiles. “Sure, what’s up?”

“Uh, I—” Julie stutters. “I was wondering if— if you… well, I was thinking about going-”

But before she can finish her sentence, Willie blurts as he walks out the coffee shop. “Hey, Luke! Check this out,” he shows his phone at the boy. “I’ve been talking to this guy, remember? Look what he just sent me.”

Luke raises his eyebrows. “Uh… I don’t get it.” 

“Look! His friend is opening a restaurant in the city. He invited me to the opening night, this Friday!” Willie says in complete exasperation.

Luke widens his eyes. “What?! Like in a date, date?”

“Yes!” his friend confirms. “Well… he’s gonna be working as a bartender. But he told me to bring my friends! That means something, right? He wants to meet me.”

“Oh,” Luke hums, trying not to let his happy expression fade away so quickly. “Yeah, sure. He did invite you, after all.”

“You guys are coming, right?” Willie turns to face Julie, hopeful.

She panics. What was she supposed to do? That was not in her plans. She had a perfect plan already, and it didn’t involve anyone else but Luke.

“Of course we’ll go, right, Jules?” he bumps her in the elbow with his own.

 _Jules_. Why did he have to call her that? She stares at him and blinks a few times, until he frowns trying to solve the expression on her face. _God, Julie, just say something! Say something!_

“Sure.” Julie gives him a fake smile, hoping it wouldn’t show her internal screaming.

Well, it was true she wanted to be alone with him on a first date, rather than in a crowded place, but maybe that could work too… couldn’t it?

Oh, she needed to call Flynn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't usually post stuff, but you can find me on tumblr at [myheartisaprize](https://myheartisaprize.tumblr.com/) (:  
> Come say hi!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys. This chapter comes with a bunch of new information and some very chaotic encounters. I hope you like it!
> 
> Please, don't forget to leave kudos and comments if you do. I appreciate them very much and they help me a lot with the writing process! Also, if you find any errors, feel free to correct me. English is not my first language.

**New message from Luke:**

You should check this out ;)

[link]

Julie smiles at the screen in her hands as she lays under the covers. The girl was planning on going to bed early that night, but Luke decided to text her right before she could drop her phone on the nightstand and turn off the lights.

When she hits play on the Spotify link he had just sent her, and lets the music distract her from other thoughts, sleep comes easily. So easily that, by the time she wakes up, Julie realizes the album is still playing on her earphones.

She listens to it again, again and again that week, until she learns every word and every melody to every single song.

After all, it reminded her of Rose and… it reminded her of _him_.

…

Friday came in a rush. There was barely time to get used to the chaos of her new life.

Every morning Julie would share the headphones with Luke and they would get lost in their pretty little world of music, whispering and talking about lyrics and melodies and so. She liked to share stories about college and things she learned there — and even though Luke didn’t play anymore like he used to, he would _non stop_ speak his mind about that universe he was so passionate about.

Things were so easy with him around. Life was breezy again, the sun was beautiful up in the sky and words would flung open out of her mind, straight into her dream box, where she still kept her thoughts. Julie even dared to play them at the piano one night, when birds had stopped humming and crickets sang loudly in her backyard.

She wished to know if his heart ever fluttered in his chest for her, just like hers did for him.

Probably not.

“Why are you not dressed yet?!” Flynn blurts out as she walks in Julie’s bedroom.

“Ugh,” she mutters in frustration. “I’m not going anymore. I have nothing to wear.”

The dark-skinned girl takes a look around. There was a pile of wrinkled clothes on the bed, right under where Julie was laying, and many more spread all over the room. Pairs of shoes looked like they had been thrown into the air, along with dresses, pants, scarves and blouses.

“Yeah. I can see that,” she says, sarcasm running through her words.

Julie rolls her eyes. “Don’t even get me started.”

Flynn stands by the edge of Julie’s bed and suddenly starts pushing her by her feet, dragging her out of her misery. “Get it together, Molina. We have work to do!”

Before she can complain, her best friend starts picking up things from the floor. It was chaos but it actually turned out alright in the end. As Julie looks at herself in the mirror, barely recognizing the girl from fifteen minutes ago, she smiles. The high waisted jeans were safe, but the green silk tank top was kind of savage, and she liked it very much.

“There you go,” Flynn says as she puts the final hair clip on Julie’s wild locks. “You look fabulous. Now go get him, tiger!”

By the time she made it to the restaurant, the place was already crowded. Julie noticed the big neon sign in the front that said “Nocturnus”, with a poster at the entrance announcing the opening night.

As she stepped in, she realized there was a pretty cool country bar _v_ _ibe_ going on there. The walls and the floors were made of dark wood and the tables and chairs were covered in real leather, high enough for her feet to not touch the ground when she sat down. There were old posters spread all over and two pool tables at the back of the salon — at the wall behind them there was another neon sign that read “Home is where my horse is”.

The bar was the nicest part though, Julie thought, as she put her eyes on the drinks behind the pretty bartenders attending the customers. She had not seen Luke or Willie yet, so the girl made her way to the counter.

Just as she approaches the bar, Julie hears one of them talk over her ear. “Julie, you made it!”

She turns around and Willie and Luke are staring at her, the second boy with a big smile on his face. He wore some dark blue jeans, a black pair of Converse shoes and a white social shirt that perfectly traced his arms muscles and biceps. She knew how the old Luke would dress, she could predict his cute beanies and sleeveless shirt — thank God he didn’t wear _that_ — but present Luke was a whole new deal. Julie wanted to vomit, he looked too hot for his own good.

“Hi,” she waves at them, shyly.

“Glad you’re here, Julie!” Willie says. “Come with us, my friend made us a reservation!”

They walk across the room and sit by one of the tables a bit further away from the entrance. She takes a look around, examining the place, trying to find out if she knew someone else in there, but Julie doesn’t recognize anyone. Yes, maybe she was also trying to avoid eye contact with the boy next to her… so what? She was feeling her stomach tie a knot and she hated it.

“Where is your friend, by the way?” Julie asks Willie, who won’t stop looking at his phone.

“He said he’s in the kitchen. The owner wants to make an announcement so he’ll come say hi soon,” he answers. Julie could sense he was nervous by the way his voice trembled… she had never seen him do that before.

She glances at Luke, who looks back at her with a suspicious expression. He wasn’t the only one worried about how the night could turn out for Willie — well, to be honest, Julie was more concerned about trying not to ruin _her_ night with Luke, but she did worry about their friend as well. After all, it was sort of a blind date situation Willie was going through.

As the hour passes, Julie sees herself on her third beer. When the clock strikes 9:00 p.m., she’s on her fourth and so is Luke and they are definitely tipsy — fortunately, Willie was too anxious to drink, so he would take care of the couple of friends.

“Green suits you, you know?” Luke says, out of the blue, as Julie returns from her trip to the bathroom. Her cheeks burn as soon as she hears those words, her heart almost jumping out of her throat. “It’s a pretty color,” he points at her top. “Like my eyes, see?”

What did he mean by _that_? She has no idea, Julie only wants to dig a whole to hide for the rest of the evening. The round tables are small and she sees herself bumping into Luke’s knees quite a few times, their legs too close to each other. The smell of his perfume all over the place.

 _God_ , she needed some _air_.

There was no time for that though, when she thinks about getting up, the sound of a microphone being plugged in strikes her ears and calls everybody’s attention.

“Hi, everyone! Sorry about the interruption,” in front of the bar, a guy gets up on a chair and starts speaking over the microphone. “I just wanna thank you all for coming. Tonight is a big night for me and my family and we’re very happy to share it with you.”

When Julie finally realizes what is going on, she looks at Luke, but the boy is too concentrated on the speech to care. “Patterson, isn’t that…”

Luke has his eyes straightened into the brunet at the bar, he had already connected the dots. “Reggie?” he whispers in disbelief.

Yes. It was definitely Reggie Petters speaking. His hair was longer, but his style was the same — Julie recognized him by the black leather boots and the red flannel shirt under his white apron.

“We wish you enjoy the food and the drinks from Nocturnus and hopefully tell your friends about us,” he finishes. “Thank you so much, enjoy your evening!”

People start clapping and Julie follows, but Luke seems to be frozen in time.

“That was the chef!” Willie points out. “Oh! And Alex just texted me. He is coming over in a bit!” he adds with excitement.

Again, the girl glances at Luke, who now has his full attention on the long-haired boy by his side. “What did you say his name is?”

“Uh,” William looks from Luke to Julie with worried eyes. “Alex?”

“What does he look like?” Luke questions in a demanding tone he never used in front of them before. His friend is a little scared.

“I don’t know really, but from the pictures—”

“Is he blonde? Tall? Has a really cool style and wears a lot of pink?” he continues. 

“Oh my God, man! Chill!” Willie blurts out, laughing nervously. “What’s with the interrogatory?”

“Willie, tell me!” Luke yells as he shakes his friend by the shoulders.

“Yes— yes! He is blonde and stylish and really cute—”

But there was no time for explanations. Before Willie could say something else, Alex was already standing behind him, grabbing him by the shoulder and tugging him into a hug. He definitely didn’t recognize Julie or Luke, so the girl waited to say hi with a big surprised smile on her face. She was confused by the whole situation, but so excited to meet the guys again. Luke didn’t seem so happy about it, though.

“What are you doing?” she asks when she sees him putting on his jacket.

“I’m leaving,” he says in a rush. “I shouldn’t be here.”

“What?” Julie’s smile fades away. “Luke, wait!”

The boy stands on his back, but she grabs him by the wrist stopping him from going any further.

“...and these are my friends,” Willie faces them as he talks to the blonde. “This is Julie, we met this week. Oh, and that’s Luke, he works with me.”

Luke turns around slowly when he hears his name being called. He faces Alex, whose eyes are wide in shock.

“Alex!” 

“Hey, Alex…”

“What are you doing here?!”

They all say together, in a choir of surprise and excitement and fear.

For a second, Julie thought Luke was going to puke all over the table. The boy looked miserable, as if someone had just stolen his favorite Christmas present.

“I thought you were in Nevada,” he is the first to say something after an embarrassing moment of complete silence.

“I was,” Alex answers. “But I came back last year.”

“Alex, it's so good to see you!” Julie talks in enthusiasm, completely unaware of the history between the two boys.

Confused, the blonde turns his attention to her. “Uh— yes. Yes! You look beautiful, Julie. It’s great to see you too,” he smiles softly and then gives her a quick hug.

“Somebody care to explain me what the hell is going on?” Willie blurts out, eyes flicking between them curiously.

“Well, apparently me and your friends went to high school together.”

The tension installed in the group was so visible it was hard to ignore. Even Willie, who knew nothing about their past friendship, could realize their locked jaws and tense shoulders.

“Oh, wait. Please don’t tell me you were in Luke’s band,” the brunet faces Alex and then Luke, who has his eyes on anything but them.

Alex’s cheeks turn red.

“And so does the guy who spoke on the microphone earlier!” Julie quickly says. “Reggie, you know?”

“Yeah, Reggie is the owner. His family helped him build this place up after he finished college. He got me the job here,” Alex explains.

“I can’t believe Reggie owns this place. This is so cool!”

“I can’t believe you all went to school together. What are the chances?!” Willie hits back in exasperation.

They awkwardly face each other again, more uncomfortable silence growing between them.

“I didn’t know you two were dating,” Alex points at Julie and Luke at the same time.

They both widen their eyes in response. 

“What?!” Luke rushes to say, he looks almost offended. “We are not!”

Suddenly, Julie feels like a punch in the face would hurt less. She is disappointed — was the thought of dating her so bad he needed to make her feel like a pedophile? _And_ she was younger than him. It made no sense!

“Well, sorry.” Alex says as he raises his hands in redemption. “I just thought that, at this point, you would finally find the courage to admit your feelings.”

Luke stays silent for a moment, thinking if he heard it correctly.

“Oh, right!” he squeezes his eyes into Alex's direction. “Cause you are so brave, right, Alex? You were always the one who had to go and say things… right?”

“Don’t give me that speech, Luke,” the blonde rolls his eyes. “You know how I felt in high school, you know about my—”

“Your anxiety? Are you seriously going to blame it on your anxiety _again_?” Luke cuts him off, irritation begins to build up inside of him. “That’s all you ever did! You never admitted anything you did wrong—”

“I never admitted things?! What about you, with all that pride? You were the one who couldn’t handle Bobby leaving—”

“And I’m wrong about that?!” he argues, face coloured red with anger. “The guy quit the band and then lied to our faces about songs that _I_ _wrote!"_

“Yeah, but that’s because _you_ made him do it!” Alex says in disbelief. “ _You_ pushed him out! He was mad at you for it, so he tried to destabilize you. Gosh, look at you, man! You ended us with your ambition and your pride, but still all you can think about is how me and Reggie are to blame.”

Luke’s throat goes dry. Suddenly, he looks around with nothing else to say, and realizes everybody is staring at their table — even Reggie, who is now standing only a few feet away from them, his eyes locked on the argument. Julie and Willie look too shocked to interfere.

“Well, you know what?” Luke reaches for his wallet and passes them by like thunder, almost knocking the table over. “At least I wanted this band to succeed, unlike you, who only cared about pleasing people.”

Just like that he turns around and rushes to the exit. “ _Yeah? Go to hell, Patterson!_ ” Alex screams as the other boy disappears from his sight.

For a moment, everything feels frozen in time. Julie watches as Reggie tries to dissolve the crowd of curious eyes, saying it was just a small misunderstanding, things would be fine and the night had to go on. She watches as people sit back at their tables and watches Willie promptly hold Alex by his shoulders, pulling him down to face him.

“Alex, calm down,” he tries to say, but the blonde looks too euphoric. “Look at me, please.”

“I knew if I ever saw him again I wouldn’t be able to control myself,” the boy cries with his eyes shut, nodding his head from side to side. “It’s just that… God, he pisses me off so much! That little bastard—”

“I’m so sorry. I had no idea you guys were friends before,” Willie says in complete sorrow. “I wouldn’t have invited him if I knew—”

“It’s okay, Will. Really,” Alex comforts him. “I’m glad to see Julie, at least—”

But when he turns to face the dark-haired girl, she is no longer there.

“Luke, wait up!”

The boy turns around when hears his name being called and Julie runs up to him, breathless. They were at least two blocks away from the restaurant already.

“Fuck, Julie, I’m _so_ sorry.”

“Just… wait,” she mumbles as she approaches him, her lungs on fire.

She had never seen Luke so furious before. The only time she saw him scream at someone was at Olivia the day they broke up, but it didn’t look as near as bad as whatever he and the guys had.

“I was so furious I _needed_ to get out of there. I’m sorry, I’ll make it up to you—”

“What?” she asks in confusion. “You don’t need to do that, I just wanted to know if you were gonna be okay. I had no idea you guys ended up in such bad terms, you and Alex were clearly upset.”

Luke raises his brows. “Yeah, let’s say it was pretty ugly.”

“I— I don’t wanna be invasive or anything but… do you wanna talk about it? I mean, do you need anything? I’m not great at advice but I—”

“I appreciate it, Julie,” he interrupts her. “I really do, but I think I need to be alone right now.”

“Oh.” Julie steps back.

She looks away from him, shame starts to grow inside her.

“I think I’m gonna go. Do you mind?” he asks. “I mean, I can call you an Uber if you need to or we can call Willie and say that—”

“No!” the girl rushes to say. “I can call an Uber myself, it’s ok.”

Luke glances at her, as if he was trying to make sure things were fine between them. “Alright,” he clears his throat. “I’m gonna go then.”

“Yeah. Good night,” she wishes him.

The girl remembered thinking of a million ways that night could have gone wrong, but that tragic ending never crossed her mind, not even in her wildest and weirdest dreams.

Her heart slowly pounded as she watched Luke turn and walk away in the middle of the desert street, wishing he had stayed, telling her everything she wanted to know and more. Alone at the avenue, Julie sighed deeply, with nothing but a broken heart, a dead cellphone and 10 dollars left in her pocket.

It was going to be a long way back home, she thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't usually post stuff, but you can find me on tumblr at [myheartisaprize](https://myheartisaprize.tumblr.com/) (:  
> Come say hi!


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